Cadet World champ Shilson: "I have been working since last year non-stop for this moment, and it paid off."

A year ago, Emily Shilson of Minnesota won a Cadet World silver medal for Team USA. After earning another chance to compete in the Cadet Worlds this year, Shilson made the most of the opportunity. She was dominant in her preliminary action, pinning her first opponent from Romania, then scoring technical falls against top wrestlers from India and Russia. In the gold-medal finals, she faced a 2017 Cadet World champion from a different weight class, Shahana Nazarova of Azerbaijan. Down 4-0 in the second period, Shilson reversed Nazarova for two points, then nailed six straight gut wrenches for the 14-4 technical fall. This year, it was Emily Shilson who ran with her nation's flag and stood on top of the podium. (Competition portrait of Emily Shilson at the 2018 Cadet World Championships by Martin Gabor, UWW)